Streetsblog Chicago is currently in the thick of raising funds for our next year of publication. Once again, the Chicago Community Trust, a charitable foundation that was one of the early funders of SBC, has very generously offered us a challenge grant. If Streetsblog reaches $50K in donations and sponsorships by the end of May, the Trust will provide the last $25K needed to keep the site running into 2017 and beyond.

Thanks to the generosity of readers like you, we’ve made good progress since we announced the challenge grant. We expect a significant chunk of revenue to come in during the next few weeks in the form of ad renewals and corporate sponsorships.

However, we still have a lot of work to do in order to win the grant from the Trust, so it’s time to shift our fundraising effort into high gear. If you haven’t already done so, please consider donating to Streetsblog Chicago today today. SBC is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, so donations are tax deductible.

If you’ve already contributed, thanks so much for helping us win the challenge grant. As an added incentive to first-time donors, as well as those who’d like to make an additional contribution, anyone who donates $100 or more from this point on will get a copy of my book “Bars Across America.”

Donate $200 or more and we’ll also throw in a copy of the anthology “On Bicycles,” to which I contributed a chapter about Chicago’s West Town Bikes, while supplies last.

Please feel free to spread the word about the challenge grant to potential donors, or contact me at 312-560-3966 or greenfieldjohn[at]hotmail.com with leads on other possible funding sources. To keep you apprised on our progress, I’ll be updating the above Donate-O-Meter along with Today’s Headlines each morning.

So the new Vista Tower by Studio Gang is definitely breaking ground this summer, and part of the project is connecting up a top-level street grid (and walkable sidewalks) from the currently-disconnected cul-de-sac that all those residential towers between Millennium Park and the river are on, to Upper Wacker Drive.

Possibly grist for an article. Certainly makes northward commuting from those towers, NOT in a car, much less freaking annoying.

CMAP Gets Ready to Launch the ON TO 2050 Plan (Delayed Until Next Wednesday) (WTTW) After Years of Complaints About Scant Service, Metra Is Adding a Run to Heritage Line (CTJ) Despite Judge’s Ruling, City Won’t Be Refunding Cam Tickets Any Time Soon (DNA) TransitCenter: Why Can’t CHI & NYC Transit Catch Up to Where […]